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The Federal Workplace Mentoring Primer was developed for any federal government employee interested in learning the basics of workplace mentoring and how to apply them within the federal government. Readers will learn basic practices as well as some specific strategies, tools and activities for establishing formal mentoring relationships and programs within a federal government workplace.

This primer was developed to promote the use of workplace mentoring as a strategy to increase the retention, job performance and career advancement of any employee in the federal workforce. To ensure that this tool adequately supports the inclusion, retention, job performance and career advancement of employees with disabilities, women and minorities, the primer includes information, considerations, and strategies to promote workplace diversity and inclusion.

This primer is designed to complement the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's 2008 publication, Best Practices: Mentoring, which provides guidance to agencies for creating a business case for mentoring and outlines critical steps for developing and implementing a formal mentoring program.

Developed by the Institute for Educational Leadership in partnership with the Cornell National Technical Assistance, Policy and Research Center for Employers on Employment of People with Disabilities. The primer was created as part of a federally funded grant from the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), U. S. Department of Labor.

Contents

Welcome ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 5 So where does an entry-level or rising professional find the kind of guidance and support they need to grow and advance professionally? ................................................................................................... 5 The Federal Government's Need for Formal Workplace Mentoring.................................................... 6 Table 1: Federal Mentoring Program Examples ................................................................................... 7 What is Mentoring? .................................................................................................................................. 9 Why Mentoring Matters ......................................................................................................................... 11 Benefits to Employers ......................................................................................................................... 11 Benefits to Prot?g?s............................................................................................................................ 12 Benefits to Mentors ............................................................................................................................ 12 Table 2: Benefits of Mentoring ........................................................................................................... 13 Considerations for a Diverse & Inclusive Workplace .............................................................................. 15 Ways Mentors Support Diverse Employees........................................................................................ 16

Approaches ................................................................................................................................................. 18 Traditional One-on-One Approach ......................................................................................................... 20 Peer Mentoring ....................................................................................................................................... 21 Professional Networking......................................................................................................................... 23 Group Mentoring .................................................................................................................................... 25 Virtual Mentoring.................................................................................................................................... 26 Reverse Mentoring ................................................................................................................................. 27 Flash Mentoring ...................................................................................................................................... 28 Cross-Group Mentoring .......................................................................................................................... 29 Cross-Generational Mentoring ............................................................................................................... 31 Table 3: Generational Characteristics ................................................................................................. 32 Cross-Agency Mentoring......................................................................................................................... 34

Practices & Tools......................................................................................................................................... 35 Developing A Mentoring Culture ............................................................................................................ 36 Steps for Adopting a Mentoring Culture............................................................................................. 38 Fostering Diversity & Inclusion Checklist ................................................................................................ 40 Checklist & Suggestions for Program Managers ................................................................................. 40

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Recruitment Strategies ........................................................................................................................... 44 Table 4: Targeting Mentor Recruitment by Recipient & Approach .................................................... 44 Mentor Application Template............................................................................................................. 48 Prot?g? Application Template ............................................................................................................ 49 Characteristics of Mentors (NASA Example)....................................................................................... 50 Develop a Recruitment & Marketing Strategy (OPM Excerpt) ........................................................... 52

Matching Mentoring Partners ................................................................................................................ 53 Match Mentors & Prot?g?s (OPM Excerpt) ........................................................................................ 54

Training ................................................................................................................................................... 55 Developing A Mentoring Program (OPM Excerpt).................................................................................. 59 Structured Activities.................................................................................................................................... 62 Prot?g? Self-Assessment......................................................................................................................... 64 Mentor Self-Assessment ......................................................................................................................... 65 Understanding Oneself (for Prot?g?)...................................................................................................... 66

Career Interests & Preferences........................................................................................................... 66 Career Objectives ................................................................................................................................ 66 Knowledge, Skills & Attributes (KSAs) Self-Assessment...................................................................... 66 Goal-Setting ........................................................................................................................................ 68 Understanding the Organization ............................................................................................................ 69 Understanding One's Job ........................................................................................................................ 70 Understanding Processes, Procedures & Policies................................................................................... 71 Working with the Supervisor .................................................................................................................. 72 Working with Co-workers ....................................................................................................................... 73 Handling Workplace Challenges ............................................................................................................. 74 Resources for Potential Workplace Challenges .................................................................................. 74 Handling Personal Challenges................................................................................................................. 79 Resources for Potential Personal Challenges...................................................................................... 79 Professional Development Opportunities .............................................................................................. 82 Resources for Professional Development........................................................................................... 82 Recommended Structured Activities (OPM Excerpt).............................................................................. 84 Other Resources.......................................................................................................................................... 86 Resources cited by OPM in Best Practices: Mentoring report:........................................................... 88

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Recommended Training Resources .................................................................................................... 90 Terminology ................................................................................................................................................ 91 References .................................................................................................................................................. 97

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Introduction

Let's face it. Few if any people who become successful professionals and leaders in their workplace got there all on their own. Ask most successful professionals how they got to where they are today and they will probably tell you about the person or people who helped them to get started, to learn the ropes and to develop and advance professionally. No doubt individual talents, ideas, hard work and persistence are essential ingredients to professional success, but the guidance and support of other professionals are also critical, especially when an individual is first entering the workforce and as they prepare to grow into positions with greater and more complex responsibilities.

So where does an entry-level or rising professional find the kind of guidance and support they need to grow and advance professionally? Sometimes another professional may voluntarily mentor an employee while other times mentors are found through formal mentoring programs. Rather than leave things to chance, formal mentoring programs typically assist more junior or less experienced professionals to identify and develop a relationship with more senior or more experienced professionals either within the same workplace or within the professional field more broadly. In addition to formally matching mentors and prot?g?s, formal mentoring programs frequently offer training and structured activities for mentors and prot?g?s. (Formal mentoring programs can also utilize mentoring configurations other than the "senior-mentorsjunior" arrangement such as peer mentoring, group mentoring, and reverse mentoring.)

Mentoring plays an important role in employee engagement and retention both of which contribute significantly to employee and organizational productivity. According to a 2008 study by the U. S. Merit Systems Protection Board, the federal agencies with the most engaged employees, based upon employee surveys, had the highest PART performance outcome ratings. Agencies with the most engaged employees also had lower average rates of sick days used. Finally, the employees who reported the highest level of engagement also reported the least likelihood of leaving their agency (U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, 2008). In its conclusions, the Board recommended mentoring as a way to increase employee engagement and other strategies to make employees feel valued from day one.

Without a formal mentoring program, new hires and less experienced employees in federal government may struggle to find other professionals they connect with and who are willing to help them learn, grow, and advance in the workplace. Employees who don't feel engaged or supported are less likely to stay with their employer. Mentoring may make all the difference in how an employee performs on the job and whether he/she decides to stay or seek employment opportunities elsewhere.

Formal mentoring programs also play an essential role in the broader talent development strategies of federal agencies and departments. While most employees receive training and professional development in the form of seminars, classes, conferences, and written materials, these forms of professional development are typically discrete learning opportunities. Staff training programs typically lack opportunities to reflect upon and practice how to apply the new knowledge and skills to the employee's daily work and receive feedback and encouragement from others. By adding mentoring to its employee development offerings, agencies and departments provide employees with support and guidance from experienced professionals on how to apply and hone new skills and knowledge. Mentors

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can also help employees learn how to take their skills and knowledge to the next level and advance professionally within the agency or department.

The Federal Government's Need for Formal Workplace Mentoring Now is an opportune time for federal government agencies to adopt or expand mentoring as a part of their talent development strategy. Mentoring can help agencies attract, develop, and retain new employees at a time when a large segment of the federal workforce - the Baby Boomers - are preparing to retire. According to U. S. Office of Personnel Management estimates using 2006 data, approximately 60 percent of the federal government's non-seasonal full-time permanent will be eligible to retire in 2016 (U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 2008). In order to deal with the anticipated wave of retirements, federal agencies are focusing attention on succession planning and preparing the next generation of leaders to take the reins.

At the same time, the federal government is concerned that the number of federal employees with targeted disabilities is low and declining. According to the National Council on Disability, persons with targeted disabilities made up less than one percent of the FY2007 federal workforce and the FY2007 federal employment rate of persons with disabilities was about 14 percent lower than the FY1998 rate (National Council on Disability, 2009). The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has the responsibility within the federal government for LEAD (Leadership for the Employment of Americans with Disabilities), an initiative aimed at increasing the number of people with disabilities hired by the federal government by two percent by 2010 (Wills, Cokley, & Holmes, 2009).

In October 2009, the Obama Administration announced its commitment to ensuring Americans with disabilities have equal access to employment opportunities (The White House Office of the Press Secretary, 2009). On July 26, 2010, President Obama followed up on this commitment by issuing an executive order by which all federal agencies must establish an agency specific plan with specific targets for increasing the number of persons with disabilities hired and retained in federal government positions (The White House Office of the Press Secretary, 2010). OPM Director John Berry echoed President Obama's commitment in his October 2009 remarks, "America includes an amazing untapped talent pool of people with disabilities who are eager and ready to join the federal government. We must do more than just enact inclusive policies, we must actively recruit, develop, retain and promote a workforce that is drawn from and represents the diverse faces of this nation" (U. S. Office of Personnel Management, 2009).

As federal agencies plan improvements to their recruitment and retention strategies, they should employ formal mentoring programs to engage and support new hires and rising professionals with and without disabilities. By expanding workplace mentoring initiatives, federal government agencies could increase employee productivity and retention and foster professional development. Additionally, mentoring can increase collaboration among employees from different generations and cultural backgrounds, thereby improving overall workplace productivity.

To see some examples of mentoring programs offered by various federal agencies, go to Table 1. Federal Mentoring Program Examples.

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For more information on mentoring, its benefits and various approaches to mentoring. Learn More about how agencies can develop a culture of mentoring.

Table 1: Federal Mentoring Program Examples

Agency

Mentor Program(s)

Approach

United States Department of Commerce

Mentoring is a component of the following employee development programs: Aspiring Leaders Development Program (ALDP), Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP), and Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program (SES CDP)

A combination of traditional one-on-one mentoring and virtual mentoring

Natural Resources Mentoring programs are offered by various NRCS state Conservation Service, offices. USDA

Traditional one-on-one mentoring

State Disability Determination Service (DDS) agencies

Mentoring for State Disability Determination Service (DDS) Examiners

Traditional one-on-one mentoring

U. S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior

One-Year Guided Mentoring Program

Traditional one-on-one, primarily virtual mentoring with some inperson interactions

U. S. Department of DOL Mentoring Program Labor

Traditional one-on-one mentoring

NASA

NASA FIRST Mentoring Program

Traditional one-on-one

NASA Goddard Space OnBoarding Ambassador Program Flight Center

Peer mentoring

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NASA

Forum of Master Project Managers

Group mentoring

NASA

Forum of Master Project Managers

Group mentoring

U.S. Department of Justice

Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program (SES CDP)

Traditional one-on-one mentoring

All Federal

USDA Graduate School Executive Leadership Program

government agencies (ELP)

Traditional one-on-one mentoring

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